


Stories of the Second Self: Dead Reckoning

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [76]
Category: National Guard - Fandom, Urban Fantasy - Fandom, lockdown - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:47:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22567315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: Year one of Alter Idem, and with social order collapsed, and Cincinnati under federal occupation, the night still isn't safe. Well, safe enough for Dale Groneck. For the living being out after sundown isn't advised. Three young human women ask him to escort them safely through a cemetery that he happens to be short-cutting through. Affer Dale makes  a verbal slip-up they see that he is a vampire and flee from him. When the National Guard come onto the scene Dale has to learn fast the right way to react to soldiers equipped and trained for confronting supernaturals.
Series: Alter Idem [76]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Dead Reckoning

Cincinnati always was a perfect place for Halloween, but it messes with people being around certain parts of the city. I take advantage of that when I have to get places.

People don't know me. My name is Dale Groneck, and what landed on me was some shit I wasn't ready for.

I take particular shortcuts where I know my chances of running into most people are low. Cemeteries are good, and after weird shit started popping up people got paranoid about them. This time, however, when I begin to cut across a cemetery something else happens.

These girls come up to me, probably still in high school, and one asks, "Hey, we hate to bother you, but could we follow you through?"

"Suppose," I say, "Why?"

"We stayed out later than we thought, and they time we started home it was already dark, the first girl says. "Bad stuff's been happening, and this place is creepy enough."

"I'd think just walk over a block and then pass this place," I suggest, "but okay. Not really a tough guy myself, but I'll do it."

"Thank you so much," a second girl praises.

"I guess being nervous around a cemetery makes sense," I absently say, "I'd have been freaked out too back when I was alive."

That stops them cold. They keep back, while one fishes out their phone and turns on the light to shine on me. "Oh my god! He's one of them!"

Then it's screaming and running, like that guy says in the movie. Oh well. Should've expected that reaction, letting my eternal state slip out. "Yeah, that's the drama I hate."

Not even a full year into my involuntary immortality and I get fired from my job at the lab, evicted from my apartment on the legal grounds of being deceased, my fucking accounts frozen, and disowned by my family when they found out I was the ambulatory kind of dead.

At first, there weren't many vampires, or at least not a lot who're willing to reveal the fact. Then, the other supernaturals started popping up. Didn't take long for everyone to start losing their shit, and I heard they declared marshal law in parts of Cincinnati. I don't know about the rest of Ohio or the country, because the army guys or, I guess, the air force put a lockdown on radio, internet, TV, and cellular service.

I see a couple trucks come wheelin' around the corner that the girls ran off to. Body heat from the guys in the cab is enough to illuminate the camouflage colors of the hood.

"Ahh, shit," I sigh and stop right there.

Dudes with guns just come a spillin' out and hustle over to me like I'm a terrorist. "Do not move! Place your hands on your head!"

"I'm not gonna do anything," I say, and follow their instructions.

"No talking!" shouts a second guy who looks the oldest of the bunch, and tilts his head toward me. "Get the restraints on him."

"Hoo'ah Sarge!" a tall lanky guy says and hands off his rifle to another soldier.

He comes around behind me, while the rest circle around, and then I feel the zip-ties being slipped on. Not one pair, you understand, they heap on quite a few. I'm not sure how many.

"Feet together!" the sergeant yells.

"Okay," I reply, furrowing my brow at the idea.

Ah, I realize, they're zip-tying my ankles too. I'm pretty sure they don't need twenty, but I honestly don't know how much stronger I got after dying.

So, they pick me up and cart my ass into this big truck with odd faceted walls that, I think, is called a Stryker. Don't know why they spell it with a "y" but what-ev. They drive me down some place, I don't know where, and the whole time the sergeant guy has a knife in both hands poised over my heart.

"This that stake through the heart thing?" I ask.

"Shut the fuck up," a different soldier scolds with a hard tone.

I shrug, and even that shit, makes a couple guys jumpy. Minutes later, the truck stops and they slide me back out. The back of my head bangs against something, like the bumper maybe. "Ouch!"

It was more out of reflex I said that, because of how loud that was, but thinking about it I realize it didn't hurt that much. There's all these light polls set up, like at a ballpark, and I even see these automated gun posts set up. Didn't think they had shit like that, at least not lookin' all Terminator anyway.

They carry me into this tent and toss me onto a metal table, but they don't leave. No, those guys all gather around one side and keep their guns pointed at me. I don't know if anyone's figured out what really kills vampires, but I can't imagine a shitload of bullets not working.

Some guys in, like, military hazmat suits turn up. One steps around for me to see him. "Do you intend to cooperate, sir?"

"Yeah," I say, and quickly look at the soldiers to see which of them shuts me up again.

He starts clipping away zip-ties from my wrists, but not my ankles, and then asks me. "Do you have any ID on you?"

"Sure, right here," I answer, and just start reaching for my wallet.

"Whoa!" he raises his voice, "Do not move!"

Four more guys come a bustin' in with what look like clubs, or no, wait. It's those big-assed Maglites. They all stand at the table corners and raise their lights up ready to flip them on.

"Those are UV lights," the hazard suited dude tells me. "Do not make us activate them."

"Shit, I'm sorry," I reply, though, I'm half-ready to be burned down, if indeed UV does it.

See, bein' a vampire ain't so cool when you're coping with it twenty-four, seven. I'd been thinking about a daylight stroll, like I wrote into my journal entry. Haven't gotten blood for a few days, realizing that going for stray animals doesn't do it.

The suited guy goes for my wallet and tugs it out. I watch a guy tighten his grip on his light like he wants to be me to death with it. The suited guy gets out my old driver's license and hands it to someone off to the side.

They use one of those hand scanners, like at the bar, and speaks, "It's real, but voided by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. File says he's deceased."

I shake my head and blink, as if what they see on the slab isn't proof of that.

"Alright, listen up, Dale," the hazmat suit guy says, "We're getting a lot of reports of blood-motivated assaults around here. Three young ladies ran from you, and they reported that you're a vampire."

"They asked if I'd walk them through a cemetery, so I did," I assert.

"Did you try to feed on them?" he asks me.

"No," though not tired, I feel my face contort as if from exhaustion. "I've been tryin' to get people to volunteer blood."

"Did you bite any of them?" the suit demands.

"The... there was one, but she was totally okay with it," I explain, thinking that answer will still get me burned. "The rest opened up with a razor. I didn't even make the cuts on them. You know, one of those Baby Bat parties?"

"I'm going to ask you again," his army tone coming through the face shield clear. "Did you try to feed on those girls?"

"No man," I wave my hand off at that, realizing it's not wise to just be throwing hand gestures. "We got to talkin' and I brought up that cemeteries gave me the creeps when I was alive. Shouldn't have let that slip out, and I'm sorry 'bout causin' trouble."

He leans over and his gloved hands turn my head side to side. Then, he pulls at my lips and inspects my fingers. A small pen light comes out, and he passes that over my clothes.

"Ow, damn!" I gasp.

The light had passed over the front collar of my shirt to glance skin, and that's when I realize he's using a UV light too. Even with the fabric between the light and me I can sorta feel it, like a lit match held close.

"Not seeing any residual blood stains under UV," he remarks like a guy doin' an autopsy.

"What do we do with this one, sir?" the sergeant dude asks.

"The directive is that we don't burn without good cause," the hazmat guy answers, "We're gonna have to let this one go," and then he addresses me. "Even under marshal law there will be due process. However, if you are discovered assaulting a living human being, or forensic evidence suggests the same, we are authorize to pacify you with lethal force. Do you understand?"

It's that army rhythm in they way he talks that tells me these guys ain't fuckin' around. As down in the dumps I'm feelin' I figure being incinerate has got to suck worse. "Yeah, I get it."

"Sergeant, escort this dead mother fucker out of my outpost," he orders.

"Yes sir," he sounds off like one of those cadences, and echoes the order to his guys. "Alright, let's get him out of here."

On go the zip-ties again, and then they haul me to the edge of the little camp they got set up. I get placed on the sidewalk, and with most of them backed off ready to blow my ass away, the sergeant then cuts me free.

"Off you go, nightcrawler," he barks, and then stabs an index finger at me. "Don't make us come around and put you down."

That's the first time I've heard a slur for us. Pretty sure there'll be more where that came from. 

"Shit," I sigh looking around. "Don't know where the hell I am."

I start walkin' around until finding a street sigh I recognize, and then spend another couple hours walking home. By home, I mean this abandoned building I'd scoped out after getting the boot from my apartment. Got all my shit boxed up in there, and I want to get back before some other homeless dude steals it.


End file.
